Thursday, January 29, 2015

King of the Edomite Hill. Genesis 36:20-43

May the mumbling commence!

And, now, it’s time for The Seir Name Game.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

                This is the family of Seir the Horite, who were native to that land:  Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.  These are the chieftains of the Horites, the sons of Seir in the land of Edom.
                The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; Lotan’s sister was Timna.
                The sons of Shobal were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
                The sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah – this is the same Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness while herding his father Zibeon’s donkeys.
                The children of Anah were Dishon and his daughter Oholibamah.
                The sons of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.
                The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
                The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
                And these were the Horite chieftains: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan – the Horite chieftains by clan in the land of Seir.
                And these are the kings who ruled in Edom before there was a king in Israel: Bela son of Beor was the king of Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah.  When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah became the next king.  When Jobab died, he was followed by Hushan from the land of the Temanites.  When Hushan died, he was followed by Hadad son of Bedad; he was the king who defeated the Midianites in Moab; the name of his city was Avith.  When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah became the next king.  When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth-on-the-River became king.  When Shaul died, he was followed by Baal-Hanan son of Acbor.  When Baal-Hanan son of Acbor died, Hadad became king; the name of his city was Pau; his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-Zahab.
                And these are the chieftains from the line of Esau, clan by clan, region by region: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel, and Iram – the chieftains of Edom as they occupied their various regions.
                This accounts for the family tree of Esau, ancestor of all Edomites.  (Genesis 36:20-43)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

These were the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the region: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs. 
The sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam. Timna was Lotan's sister. 
The sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam. 
The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys of his father Zibeon. 
The children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah. 
The sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran. 
The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan. 
The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran. 
These were the Horite chiefs: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These were the Horite chiefs, according to their divisions, in the land of Seir. 
These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king reigned: Bela son of Beor became king of Edom. His city was named Dinhabah. 
When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah succeeded him as king.  When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him as king.  When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith.  When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king.  When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river succeeded him as king.  When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Acbor succeeded him as king.  When Baal-Hanan son of Acbor died, Hadad succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife's name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab. 
These were the chiefs descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied.
This was Esau the father of the Edomites.  (Genesis 36:20-43)

There is little to the differences.  There is much to wonder about… like the finding of the hot springs… and the inclusion of the women… and if the Timna noted in this Seir Name Game is the same Timna who was Eliphaz’s concubine.

Regardless, the importance of kingship and chieftains is evident in this genealogy.  And the kings did not follow from father to son.  I wonder if violence played a part in the deaths of the various Edomite kings.


Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out

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